Categories:

New Beskyd tunnel moves Ukraine closer to EU

New Beskyd tunnel moves Ukraine closer to EU

The long-awaited launch of the double-track Beskyd tunnel in Ukraine’s Carpathian Mountains integrates the country’s infrastructure with the pan-European transport network Corridor V, stretching from Venice to Slovenia, Hungary and now Lviv.

It will take on 60 percent of rail traffic between Ukraine and the European Union, according to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which provided $40 million in loans for the project.

The tunnel was also financed by the European Investment Bank ($64 million loan). The Beskyd tunnel is expected to quadruple the current capacity of train traffic from 12 units per day to 46 in both directions.

The tunnel is Ukraine’s first public sector project built under the standards of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers.